2012’s top sports scandals

2012 has been a wild year for sports scandals. Here are ten of the top sports scandals that shocked the world.

To start the list at number ten, we have the New Orleans Saints “Bountygate” scandal. Beginning in March 2012, information about the Saints and their cash rewards for players that can successfully injure other players was exposed. According to the Bleacher Report, there were between 22 and 27 of the players, as well as a few of the coaches on the Saints who were involved. The NFL suspended Gregg Williams for an indefinite period; head coach Sean Payton was suspended for the duration of the season, and general manager Mickey Loomis was suspended for the first eight games of the season.

Ninth, we have Voula Papachristou, a triple jumper for the Greek team in the 2012 Olympics. She was given the boot from her club for sending out racist tweets regarding Africans. USA Today reports that her tweet said, “With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!" Apparently Papachristou wasn’t using proper judgment with her use in social media.

Metta World Peace, the forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, is number eight. After many people speculated why he changed his name from Ron Artest to Metta World Peace, CBS Sports reports that World Peace was ejected from a game after elbowing Oklahoma City Thunder’s James Harden in the head. There’s not much knowledge of what World Peace actually finds peaceful, but elbowing an opponent in a basketball game surely isn’t anywhere close to it.

Seventh, we have Lance Armstrong, a cyclist who often competed in world competitions. According to Fox News, Armstrong was banned for life from Tour De France for doping. He was also stripped of the seven titles that he had won. If that isn’t enough, most of his records are now erased from the record books.

Sixth, we have Chad Johnson, a receiver in the NFL who was cut by the Miami Dolphins and arrested for head-butting his now ex-wife Evelyn Lozada. NY Daily News reports that the fight broke out between the couple over a receipt found for purchased condoms. That was Johnson’s last chance to play in the NFL this year.

Fifth is Jerry Sandusky, a former coach for Penn State University. Sandusky was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in state prison, which is basically a life sentence since he’s 68 years of age. He was sentenced for child molestation and rape of young boys.

We have the college football team Miami Hurricanes at number four. The Hurricanes will be fined because former booster, Nevin Shapiro, provided student athletes with cash, strip club rendezvous, and prostitutes.

Third is Michel Morganella, a soccer player for the Swiss team. He was stripped of his accreditation for discriminating and insulting the Korean soccer team. NY Daily News reports that he tweeted that the Korea team ‘can go burn’ and then referred to them as a ‘bunch of mongoloids.’

Second, we have the IAAF and their list of 40 Indian dopers. The Hindu reports that Indian athletics produced the maximum dope cheats in the history of the IAAF.

Finally at number one, we end this list with Harvard. The NY Times reports that up to 125 students out of a 279 person class were being investigated for cheating on a take-home exam. Several of the 125 students were people athletes, including the co-captains of the Harvard basketball team. This scandal could ruin the integrity of the Ivy league program.